Thermal printers in which a thermal head scans in close contact with the surface of a heat-sensitive recording material or paper to record an image or other information thereon are widely known and used. The thermal head typically uses a resistive element as a heat source. Such systems are commonly employed in a facsimile, and in printers for registers, and other applications. However, close contact the thermal head and the heat-sensitive paper, can result in material being scraped from the paper by the thermal head. This material can attach to the thermal head separating it from the heat-sensitive paper, resulting in incomplete or incorrect recording of images. In addition, close contact between thermal head and the paper can result in the thermal head being damaged or destroyed.
Thermal printers in which a laser is used as a source of thermal energy and in which the thermal head is not brought into contact with the heat-sensitive paper have been proposed. However, conventional implementations of this approach have not been satisfactory for a number of reasons.
It is highly desirable to improve thermal printing technology. In particular, it is highly desirable to improve thermal printers in which a laser is used as a source of thermal energy.